Collapsible box



June 1951 J. H. VINEBERG 2,555,719

COLLAPSIBLE BOX Filed April 17, 1946 Patented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE BOX Joseph Hirsch Vineb'erg, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Application April 17, 1946, Serial No. 662,877

7 Claims. 1

This invention relates to one-piece collapsible boxes.

A satisfactory garment-carrying box should have a handle by which the box can be carried and a hanger on which the garment can be supported inside the box. No previous attempt at solving the problem of providing both these elements in a collapsible box of adequate depth all formed out of a single blank has been successful. All prior proposals have been subject to one or both of the disadvantages of excessive waste of material, and a final product which is clumsy and awkward to put together, with the result that, in practice, two piece constructions have been resorted to almost exclusively. Such constructions are, however, expensive compared with one-piece constructions. Thus, the cost of cutting a separate hanger is substantially the same as the cost of cutting a complete box blank, and the cost of securing the hanger to the box, for example by stapling, is also about equal to the cost of cutting out the complete box blank. Since garment-carrying boxes in most cases are not sold to the ultimate user, but are used by stores as a means of packaging their goods to be taken away by the consumer, the expense of the box must be wholly absorbed by the store using it, and is thus a very important item. However, notwithstanding the advantages in principle of one-piece construction, no garment-carrying boxes of such construction have heretofore gone into extensive commercial use.

According to the present invention a one piece garm nt carrying box is provided which has a handle and a hanger and suflicient depth comfortably to accommodate any garment for the transportation of which the box may be used. This box may be assembled simply and quickly, and when it is in use the strain is so distributed that there is little tendency for the box to pull out of shape or tear.

The one piece box according to the invention comprises essentially a substantially rectangular bottom section and a corresponding top section which are connected along their back edges through an intervening back wall. Side walls are connected along opposite edges of both sections. Connected along the remaining edge of the top section is a top front wall and along the remaining edge of the bottom section is a bottom front wall. A hanger forming member is connected to the outer edge of this bottom front wall and a handle is connected to the outer edge of this hanger member. Slits are formed in both the front walls running longitudinally thereof and through these slits the handle member is adapted to extend when the box is assembled. Front wall flaps are preferably connected along the front edges of those side walls which are connected to the bottom section, and these flaps are folded to lie along the bottom front wall. They are such that longitudinally extending slits may be formed in them which will register with the slit in the bottom front wall when the iiaps are folded to lie along that wall.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to one form of construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan View of a blank from which the box is made up,

Figure 2 is a plan View of the front portion of the box in a partly assembled position,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the front portion of the box in a further stage of assembly, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the box fully assembled with parts broken away to show the interior arrangement.

Ihe box illustrated in these figures comprises a bottom rectangular section IEI and a corresponding top section H which are connected to one another along their back edges through an intervening back wall l2. Connected along the sides of the bottom section iii are side walls l3 and i l and connected along the sides of the top section H are side walls l5 and it, these side walls being connected to each other and to the back wall l2 by inwardly foldable connecting pieces Il and it of a well-known type. Along the remaining or front edge of the top section II is connected a top front wall It and along the remaining or front edge of the bottom section it is connected a bottom front wall 29. To the outer edge 2B of the bottom front wall 20 is connected a hanger forming member 22 and to the outer edge of this hanger forming member is connected a handle member 23. Front wall flaps 25 and 26 extend from the front edges and 28 respectively of the side walls I3 and 14 respectively, these flaps being of a length equal to the combined length of the front wall 20, hanger forming member 22 and handle 23, as indicated in Figure l, and being thus almost as long as the front wall member 28. Elite 29, 3s, 3i and 32 are formed in the top front wall [-9, the bottom front wall 20 and the front wall flaps 25 and 2:6 respectively, all these slits being tom front wall 29 (see Fig. 4).

3 adapted to register with one another when the box is assembled, as appears from Figure 4.

It will be noted that a fold line 33 runs along the length of the front wall 20 in line with the slit .30 and defines an outer portion 34 of the front wall which is foldable with respect to the remainder or inner portion 3% of that wall. The hanger forming member 22 is formed of two substantially identical parts. The inner of these parts includes a neck portion 35 connecting the outer edge 2| of the bottom front wall 2&3 to a hanger bar portion 36 and the other part including a neck portion 3? connecting the inner edge 39 of the handle member 23 with a hanger bar portion 33, the two hanger bar portions 36 and 38 being connected to each other along the fold line 46 which is parallel with the slit 36.

The handle member 23 includes a centre portion 41 of a width slightly less than the length of the slit 3%] and two wings i and 46 of substantially the same width connected to the centre portion along fold lines 47 and 48 respectively, these wings being inwardly foldable on these lines to overlie the centre portion ll. Extending inwardly from the bases of the wings 35 and GE; aretabs 53 and M respectively which are of a height substantially equal to the height of the outer portion as of the bottom front wall 28, these tabs being folded out when the wings are folded in and so projecting outwardly from the base of the sides of the completed handle member. If desired projecting tabs 49 and be may be formed at the outer edges of the wings also, so as to increase the efiectiveness of the latter in carrying part of the load of the box. The centre portion and each wing has therethrough an opening 5| of a size sufficient comfortably to accommodate a hand.

The assembly of the box is easily and quickly effected. The first step is to fold in the wings 45 and 46 to overlie the centre portion ll of the handle. The two parts of the hanger forming member 22 are then folded in toward each other along the fold line and the handle is inserted through the slit 30, the tabs 33, M, 39 and 5t] acting as stops to prevent the handle being inserted too far. The assembly of the box has then reached the stage illustrated in Figure 2.

The next stage is to fold the bottom front wall 20 up at right angles to the bottom section it and then to fold the outer portion 35 of the wall 29 at right angles to the inner portion 36a so that this outer portion and consequently the hanger overlie the bottom section and the handle projects out from the bottom front wall (see Fig. 3). The side walls I3, I 3, I5 and [6 are then folded up at right angles to the bottom and top sec- -tions l0 and M respectively and the front wall ing the back wall l2 up at right angles to the bottom section H3, folding the top section II to overlie the bottom section In, and folding down the side walls and it so that they lie inside the side walls is and [4 respectively and are held in this position by the outer portion at of the bot- In this process the connecting pieces I7 and 18 are folded inwardly so that they appear in triangular form as shown in Figure 4. When the box is fully assembled,

the lid of the box is closed by passing the handle 23 through the slit 29 in the top front wall l9.

I claim:

1. A one piece collapsible box comprising a substantially rectangular bottom section and a corresponding top section connected to one another along their back edges through an intervening back Wall, side walls connected along opposite,

edges of both said top and bottom sections, a top front wall connected along the front edge of said top section, a bottom front Wall connected along the front edge of said bottom section, a hanger forming member of greater width intermediate its ends than at either end connected at one end to the outer edge of said bottom front wall, a handle member having a handle opening therethrough connected to the other end of said hanger forming member, and slits in both of said front walls running longitudinally thereof through which said handle member is adapted to extend.

2. A one piece collapsible box comprising a substantially rectangular bottom section and a corresponding top section connected to one another along their back edges through an intervening back wall, side walls connected along opposite edges of both said top and bottom sections, a top front wall connected along the front edge of saidtop section, a bottom front wall connected along the front edge of said bottom section, slits in both of said front walls running longitudinally thereof, a hanger forming member composed of two substantially identical parts each including aneck portion and a hanger bar portion, said hanger bar portions being connected to each other along a fold line substantially parallel with the'slits in the'front walls and one neck portion connecting the outer edge of said bottom front wall to one hanger .bar portion, and a handle member connected to the other hanger bar portion through the other neck portion, said handle member being of a length less than the length of said slits and being adapted to extend therethrough.

3. A one piece collapsible box comprising a substantially rectangula bottom section and a corresponding top section connected to one another along their back edges through an intervening back wall, side walls connected along opposite edges of both said top and bottom sections, a top front wall connected along the front edge of said top section, a bottom front wall connected along the front edge of said bottom section, slits in both of said front walls running longitudinally thereof, and a fold line in said bottom front wall in line with the slit therein defining an outer portion of said wall foldable with respect to the remainder, a hanger forming member composed of two substantially identical parts each including a neck portion and a hanger bar portion, said hanger bar portions being connected to each other along a fold line substantially parallel with the slits in the front walls and one neck portion connecting the outer edge of said bottom front wall to one hanger bar portion, a handle member connected to the other hanger bar portion through the other neck portion, and tabs of a height substantially equal to the outer portion of said bottom front wall projecting from the base of the sides of said handle member, the length of said handle member being slightly less than the length of said slits whereby said handle member is adapted to extend through said slits and said tabs act as stops to limit the extent of insertion.

4. A collapsible one piece box as defined in claim 3, in which the handle member includes a central portion and two inwardly foldable wings and the tabs are connected to the inner ends of said wings and are cut out of said central portion.

5. A one piece collapsible box comprising a substantially rectangular bottom section and a corresponding top section connected to one another along their back edges through an intervening back wall, side walls connected along opposite edges of both said top and bottom sections, a top front wall connected along the front edge of said top section, a bottom front wall connected along the front edge of said bottom section, slits in both of said front walls running longitudinally thereof, and a fold line in said bottom front wall in line with the slit therein defining an outer portion of said wall foldable with respect to, the remainder, a hanger forming member composed of two substantially identical parts each including a neck portion and a hanger bar portion, said hanger bar portions being connected to each other along a fold line substantially parallel with the slits in the front walls and one neck portion connecting the outer edge of said bottom front wall to one hanger bar portion, a handle member connected to the other hanger bar portion through the other neck portion, tabs of a height substantially equal to the outer portion of said bottom front wall projecting from the base of the sides of said handle member, the length of said handle member being slightly less than the length of said slits whereby said handle member is adapted to extend through said slits and said tabs act as stops to limit the extent of insertion, front wall flaps extending from the front edges of the side walls connected to the bottom section and foldable to lie along said bottom front wall, said flaps being of a length greater than the distance along said bottom front wall from one end thereof to the opposite end of the slit in said front wall, and slits in said front flaps adapted to register with the slit in said bottom front wall when said flaps are folded to lie along said wall.

6. A collapsible one piece box as defined in claim 5, in which the handle member includes a central portion and two inwardly foldable wings and the tabs are connected to the inner ends of said wings and are cut out of said central portion.

7. A one piece collapsible box comprising a substantially rectangular bottom section and a corresponding top section connected to one another along their back edges through an intervening back wall, side walls connected along opposite edges of both said top and bottom sections, a top front wall connected along the front edge of said top section, a bottom front wall, a hanger form ing member including two parts each wider at one end than at the other end and connected to each other along their wide ends by a fold line, one of said parts being connected along its narrow end to the outer edge of said bottom front wall, a handle member having at least one handle opening therethrough connected to the other of said parts of said hanger forming member along its narrow end, and slits in both of said front walls running longitudinally thereof through which said handle member is adapted to extend.

JOSEPH HIRSCH VINEBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,448,629 Lang Mar. 13, 1923 1,731,996 Appelbaum Oct. 15, 1929 1,997,343 Quagliotti Apr. 9, 1935 2,168,387 Bellin Aug. 8, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 392,821 Great Britain May 25, 1933 

